Rabat, 06/12/2004 (Agence Europe) - The Moroccan government calls for sustained EU action in favour of decentralisation which it considers essential for attracting investment and preparing the future of a country that is to open its economy to better integrate the global economy. This conclusion was reached after two days of discussions on the theme "Investment, a Regional Act", attended by personalities representing the economic world and enterprise from Europe, the United States and delegates of multilateral organisations including the World Bank. The World Bank representative on this occasion stressed how difficult it is today for developing countries to share the mass of FDI (foreign direct investment), which tends to decline, and to be performant. Morocco, a country of investment, considers the new challenge is that of the programmed opening of its market under its free trade agreement with the EU and that signed in June 2004 with the United States or with Turkey. This, according to Prime Minister Driss Jettou, means it must reflect on the most effective ways for the economy and the enterprises of the country, not only to avoid suffering from new competition on its territory but also to open up to close cooperation to better integrate the global economy.
The way toward decentralisation is already open, as witnessed by the regional officials and European and international investors, mainly from the region of Agadir, engaged in "successful" cooperation with the Canary Islands. Other examples are cited by business leaders or elected representatives of France (Marseilles, Corsica), Belgium (residential tourism), etc. The EU, whose model of internal regional cooperation serves as a reference, approves this new approach, Sean Doyle states, representing the Union in Rabat. He indicated during the debates that the European Commission intends to devote the allocations of the neighbourhood financial instrument, which is to replace the MEDA programme at the end of the current financial perspectives) to crossborder cooperation between the European regions and the South and East Mediterranean.